Losing a loved one is an emotional and trying experience for all the individual’s close family and friends. If you have recently gone through this, you will undoubtedly want to ensure that you provide your loved one with the best possible send-off, bringing their nearest and dearest together to remember the good times and celebrate their life.
It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to planning a funeral, especially when your mind is clouded with sadness. Here is a guide that will take you through the most important steps.
Contact a funeral home
A funeral home and its funeral directors are equipped to assist you in all aspects of planning a funeral and can help to remove the stress from the already difficult situation. Obviously, it is not essential to involve anyone outside of the family if you wish to handle the planning stage yourself. However, it is worthwhile considering if you would like a bit of extra guidance.
Decide on where the funeral will be held
Most funerals take place in churches, but this certainly isn’t a requirement, especially if your deceased loved one wasn’t religious or spiritual in any way. In that case, you can choose to hold the funeral anywhere you like. Many families decide to conduct it in a place or an area that had significant meaning to their loved one, such as a quiet park or their childhood home.
Plan the order of the service
You will need to decide who will be officiating at the funeral. It can be a minister or even a close family member or friend. From there, you will have the chance to decide what will be said and when during the service. Do you want a special poem to be read, any specific bible verses recited, or specific songs or hymns to be sung? Don’t forget to get in touch with the deceased’s closest friends and to approach other family members to find out if anyone wishes to speak or share something at the service.
Finally, it is worthwhile to consider designing and ordering special memorial cards for mourners as a loving keepsake and memory.
Organise the catering
It is traditional for mourners to gather and chat about their loved one following the funeral service. As such, it is always appreciated if there are snacks and refreshments available for people to nibble on while they spend time remembering the deceased. You certainly do not need to worry about organising a full sit-down meal. Bite-sized finger foods always go down a treat.
Notify mourners
Most people use the convenience of social media to announce details relating to the funeral service of their loved one. It is also possible to notify mourners through an online obituary or a death notice, or via telephone calls to other family members and friends.
Planning a funeral is never a happy time. The good news is that most will take comfort in being able to say a final ‘goodbye’ to their friend or relative. Enjoy celebrating all the beautiful memories and finding the closure that you need to start the healing process.
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